As the pandemic is being spread all around the world, people are learning to cope with new ways of living. Brick-and-mortar retailers are already losing their customers, but on the other hand, stay-home orders are dominating the market. Those companies who are at their best position in this surviving time, they had already begun to pivot to a digital marketplace. But if you think that this is it, having an e-commerce presence and a functional website is only half the battle. Getting the customers on those product pages is also an essential part of making your business successful in these tough times.
The growing role of online marketing during this pandemic
After this pandemic spread all over the world, more and more businesses started to enter the online marketplace. This is the time when the competition for traffic becomes even more significant. To get recognized by online shoppers, small brands are facing a challenging situation because of powerhouses like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
This is the reason online marketing plays a crucial role in building brand recognition and increasing online traffic to business websites. If you are thinking of having a comprehensive online marketing strategy, first, you should have a search-optimized website and an active social media presence.
Many small companies are focusing on organic marketing methods, such as traditional outreach and blogs. But, paid media is becoming more popular and important to get the online attention of customers. These paid media marketing methods include PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns and social media ads. These campaigns are considered under the term search engine marketing (SME).
This pandemic is the best time to experiment with online marketing
This might seem crazy to spend on boosting your online presence during this global crisis, but now, is the perfect time for experimentation. It is because many companies are cutting their budgets and reducing their online ads expenses, and CPM rates, for PPC and search engine marketing. It is sporadic to see this quite low level. You can take advantage of these reduced prices and easier competition by testing your new online marketing avenues, such as paid advertisements.
Understanding the basics of online marketing
Define your KPIs:
KPIs stands for Key Performance Indicators which are metrics used to define the success rate of the campaign. Anything from the website’s stats can be included in the KPIs from Click-Through-Rates (CTR) to page views, new subscribers, and more. It is imperative to define which metrics matter the most for a marketing campaign before you start planning. It is because this decision can help you develop the right marketing strategy.
Build brand awareness:
KPIs It is critical to have a stellar product or service, but without the recognition of your brand, you can easily lose a lot of your sales to more established competitors. People buy products from brands that they trust. So if you build trust with consumers through testimonials and awareness campaigns, it can help you establish a strong reputation in online marketing. At the start, you should be more focused on the views and impressions rather than getting worried about conversions and clicks. In the early stage of online marketing, it’s all about presenting your products or services in front of as many people as possible. So don’t get panic if you lack sales just yet.
Optimize for local:
It is an important aspect to remember, that if you are providing your products and services within a specific geographic region such as florists, landscapers, plumbers, etc. then make sure to target those areas to reach nearby people. Moreover, when creating informative content on your website, give a thought to Google ads because they can target local audiences and keywords.
Create helpful content:
No one wants to be pitched or sold to, but many people use Google to get the answers to their questions. Instead of creating a website that looks more like a catalog, build a knowledge base site where people can find information that they are looking for. You can also become an authority for your niche if you maintain the regular posting of newsletters for blogs. These two are good sources to share information and can help you establish your brand as a reliable resource. Try to create high-quality content, which helps you to rank higher in search engine results. Then you will lead more people directly to your website that might have a look around and ultimately make a purchase or contact you. If you can engage the visitor with your website for a longer time, you will have better chances to close a sale.
Get social:
The major component of online marketing is building a substantial social media presence. You don’t need your online presence on every platform, but you should know which network is more suitable for your brand. You need to identify on which platform you have the most active targeted audience. Moreover, if you post regular updates, you will engage a lot of people with relevant interests and ultimately create a community. It is much better than just trying to rack up followers. Once you have a strong base, you can start your experimentation with promotional posts and social media advertisements.
This pandemic is taking digital media to the next level
Online marketing has taken over the online world very quickly, especially in this global pandemic, and has become a must-have skill that every company is looking for. As the market shifts, it is not surprising that the attraction of online marketing becomes imperative for companies. That’s why they started to master their online marketing and advertising skills. Those who are still using traditional marketing methods will be left behind very soon, especially in this time when the entire world is in an economic crisis.